Thin-film crystal-structure-processed mechanical devices, and methods and systems for making

Abstract

Thin-film laser-effected internal crystalline structure modified materials suitable for the creation of various small-dimension mechanical devices, either singly or in monolithic arrays, such as MEMS devices. Processing is carried out at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.

1. A method of forming from a precursor thin-film material having selectively and contrallably changeable crystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, a thin-film mechanical device possessing (a) a predetermined configuration, and therein (b) a set of such mechanical properties, that are desired for the performance by the completed device of a pre-chosen mechanical task, said method comprising
 placing a precursor body of such thin-film material in a processing zone, 
 selecting a volumetric region with an appropriate spatial configuration in that body which is suitable (a) for the creation therefrom of the desired, predetermined device configuration and (b) for the establishment therein of t& desired set of crystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, 
 within the processing zone, subjecting the selected region to a controlled changing of 
 the crystalline structure therein, and thus of the related mechanical properties, and by that process, achieving in the selected region the desired set of mechanical properties. 
 
   
   
     2. The method of  claim 1  wherein the precursor material takes the form of one of an amorphous material, a nanocrystalline material, a microcrystalline material, and polycrystalline material. 
   
   
     3. The method of  claim 1  wherein the precursor material takes the form of one of silicon, germanium, silicon-germanium, dielectric materials, piezoelectric materials, copper, aluminum, tantalum and titanium. 
   
   
     4. The method of  claim 1  wherein said placing of a precursor body of material in the processing zone involves placing such material on the surface in a supporting substrate where the substrate is formed from one of glass, quartz, plastic materials, metal foil materials, dielectric materials, and piezoelectric materials. 
   
   
     5. The method of  claim 1  wherein the mechanical device produced is a MEMS device. 
   
   
     6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the body of material takes the form of a layer having a defined thickness, and said subjecting involves melting and re-crystallizing of zones in that layer Through the full depth of the layer at the location of each zone. 
   
   
     7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the body of material takes the form of a layer having a defined thickness, and said subjecting involves melting and re-crystallizing of zones in that layer through less than the full depth of the layer at the location of each zone. 
   
   
     8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said subjecting is performed in a manner which differentiates and distinguishes different zones in a region, whereby such differentiated and distinguished zones possess, after the subjecting step, different internal properties. 
   
   
     9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said subjecting is performed by a controlled energy beam which is directed toward a surface of the material body. 
   
   
     10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the controlled energy beam takes the form of a laser beam. 
   
   
     11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein during the subjecting step, the location of beam-body impingement moves over the mentioned surface of the body. 
   
   
     12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said subjecting is performed by a pair of controlled energy beams which are directed toward opposite surfaces in the material body. 
   
   
     13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein the controlled energy beams are laser beams. 
   
   
     14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein, during the subjecting step, the locations of beam-body impingement move over such opposite surfaces in the body. 
   
   
     15. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the controlled changing of crystalline structure produces an enlargement of internal grain size. 
   
   
     16. A method of making a task-specific, thin-film mechanical device at least partially out of a chosen, thin-film material whose local mechanical properties are closely linked to local, internal crystalline structure, said method comprising
 determining an appropriate spatial configuration for the device, 
 on the basis of said determining, deciding upon the appropriate distribution in such configuration of local mechanical properties needed for the finished device to be capable of performing the intended specific task, and 
 applying suitable crystalline-structure-modifying processing to a body of the chosen thin-film material to achieve therein a processed region which possesses both the determined appropriate spatial configuration for the device, and a distributed, local, internal crystalline-structure structure arrangement that produces the decided-upon, distributed, local mechanical properties. 
 
   
   
     17. A mechanical, thin-film, device-building method comprising
 selecting a particular thin-film mechanical device to build for the purpose of performing a particular task, 
 in relation to said selecting, determining for the selected device an appropriate spatial, three-dimensional configuration, and an inner mechanical properties characteristic within that configuration, suited for the particular task, 
 choosing a thin-film material for the creation of the device, and 
 selectively and controllably processing the internal crystalline structure within the chosen thin-film material, and within a region in that material matching the determined device configuration, thus to achieve within that region the desired, determined mechanical properties for the selected particular task. 
 
   
   
     18. An ambient-temperature method for creating, from a precursor, thin-film material having selectively and controllably changeable crystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, a thin-film mechanical device possessing (a) a predetermined configuration, and therein (b) a set of such mechanical properties, that are desired for the performance by the completed device of a pre-chosen mechanical task, said method comprising
 placing a precursor body of such thin-film material in a processing zone, 
 selecting a volumetric region with an appropriate spatial configuration in that body which is suitable (a) for the creation therefrom of the desired, predetermined device configuration, and (b) for the establishment therein of the desired set of crystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, 
 within the processing zone subjecting The selected region to a controlled changing of the crystalline structure therein, and thus of the related mechanical properties, said subjecting taking place in the context of a local-only material-body temperature rise, and 
 by that process, achieving, in the selected region, the desired set of mechanical properties. 
 
   
   
     19. A method of forming, from a precursor thin-film material having selectively and controllably changeable crystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, a thin-film mechanical device possessing (a) a predetermined configuration, and therein (b) a set of such mechanical properties, that are desired for the performance by the completed device of a pre-chosen mechanical task, said method comprising,
 forming a thin-film precursor body of such material, 
 placing that formed, thin-film material body in a processing zone, within that zone, applying processing to the body to establish, within a selected region therein which has an appropriate spatial configuration, an internal crystalline condition which is characterized by possession of a set of the desired crystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, and 
 at some point in time during implementation of the method, creating from the thin-film material body the desired, predetermined device configuration, and doing this in a manner whereby, on completion of the method, the desired configuration is substantially defined by material processed in the selected region. 
 
   
   
     20. A method of making a defined-task, thin-film micro-mechanical device within a size range which, at the lower end therein, extends to single-crystal-level devices, said method comprising
 choosing for the creation of such a device a thin-film material which possesses crystalline-structure-defining mechanical properties, 
 selecting a target three-dimensional spatial configuration and a set of mechanical properties effective to achieve such a device for the defined task, and 
 processing the crystalline structure of an appropriate three-dimensional quantity of such chosen material to meet the selected target configuration and set of mechanical properties.